Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T08:21:05.347Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Transmission of Helminthosporium solani from potato seed tubers and effects of soil conditions, seed inoculum and seed physiology on silver scurf disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

D. M. Firman
Affiliation:
Cambridge University Farm, Huntingdon Road, Girton Cambridge CB3 0LH, UK
E. J. Allen
Affiliation:
Cambridge University Farm, Huntingdon Road, Girton Cambridge CB3 0LH, UK

Summary

The transmission of silver scurf (Helminthosporium solani) disease of potatoes was examined in field experiments at Cambridge University Farm in 1988–90. Treatment factors examined were seed size, seed age, seed incubation, soil moisture regime and planting date. A laboratory experiment investigated the viability of conidia of Helminthosporium in soil stored under different conditions.

Incubation of seed at high humidity before planting increased sporulation of Helminthosporium on seed tubers after planting and fewer conidia were produced from small seed than from larger seed. Delay in planting caused more rapid growth of Helminthosporium on seed tubers after planting.

Early planting and late harvesting increased the severity of silver scurf on progeny tubers. Severity of silver scurf was also increased by ageing seed and by incubating seed. Weight loss of potato tubers during storage tended to be greater from treatments with most severe silver scurf in all years but a significant linear regression of weight loss on silver scurf severity was found in only one year out of three from a late harvest. The viability of conidia added to soil was found to decrease rapidly so that by 10 weeks after addition, < 1% of conidia were apparently viable.

Type
Crops and Soils
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, M. J. & Hide, G. A. (1980). Relationships between disease levelson seed tubers, on crops during growth and in stored potatoes. 5. Seed stocks grown at Rothamsted. Potato Research 23, 291302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Adams, M. J., Read, P. J., Lapwood, D. H., Cayley, G. R. & Hide, G. A. (1987). The effect of irrigation on powdery scab and other tuber diseases of potatoes. Annals of Applied Biology 110, 287294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allen, E. J., O'Brien, P. J. & Firman, D. (1992). An evaluation of small seed for ware-potato production. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 118, 185193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Banks, N. H. (1985). Surface area estimation of potato tubers. Potato Research 28, 487496.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burstall, L. & Harris, P. M. (1983). The estimation of percentage light interception from leaf area index and percentage ground cover in potatoes. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 100, 241244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chinn, S. H. F., Ledingham, R. J. &Sallans, B. J. (1960). Population and viability studies of Helminthosporium sativum in field soils. Canadian Journal of Botany 38, 533539.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Firman, D. M. & Allen, E. J. (1993). Effects of windrowing, irrigation and defoliation of potatoes on silver scurf (Helminthosporium solani) disease. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 121, 4753.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Firman, D. M.O'Brien, P. J. & Allen, E. J. (1991). Leaf and flower initiation in potato (Solarium tuberosum) sprouts and stems in relation to number of nodes and tuber initiation. journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 117, 6174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hall, S. M. & Hide, G. A. (1992). Fungicide treatment of seed tubers infected with thia bendazole-resistant Helminthosporium solani and Polyscylalum pustulans for controlling silver scurf and skin spot on stored progeny tubers. Potato Research 35, 143147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hide, G. A. & Adams, M. J. (1980). Relationships between disease levels on seed tubers, on crops during growth and in stored potatoes. 3. Silver scurf. Potato Research 23, 229240.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hide, G. A. & Read, P. J. (1985). Assessing fungicides as potato seed tuber treatments for controlling silver scurf in stored tubers. Tests of Agrochemicals and Cultivars 6 (Annals of Applied Biology 106, Supplement), 6061.Google Scholar
Hide, G. A., Cayley, G. R., Read, P. J. & Fraser, J. H. (1980). Treatment of seed and ware potato tubers with thiabendazole for control of storage diseases. Annals of Applied Biology 96, 119131.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hide, G. A., Hall, S. M. & Boorer, K. J. (1988). Resistance to thiabendazole in isolates of Helminthosporium solani, the cause of silver scurf disease of potatoes. Plant Pathology 37, 377380.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jellis, G. J. (1972). Silver scurf disease of potatoes. PhD thesis, University of Manchester.Google Scholar
Jellis, G. J. & Taylor, G. S. (1977). The development of silver scurf (Helminthosporium solani) disease of potato. Annals of Applied Biology 86, 1928.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lennard, J. H. (1970). Silver scurf (Helminthosporium solani) development in relation to level of seed tuber infection, soil type and storage temperature. Experimental Work. The Edinburgh School of Agriculture, 1969, pp. 2425.Google Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries And Food (1982). Seed Rate for Potatoes Grown as a Maincrop: Short Term Leaflet 653. Alnwick: MAFF.Google Scholar
O'Brien, P. J. & Allen, E. J. (1992). Effects of date of planting, date of harvesting and seed rate on yield of seed potato crops. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 118, 289300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Read, P. J. & Hide, G. A. (1984). Effects of silver scurf (Helminthosporium solani) on seed potatoes. Potato Research 27, 145154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilcockson, S. J., Allen, E. J., Scott, R. K. & Wurr, D. C. E. (1985). Effects of crop husbandry and growing conditions on storage losses of Pentland Crown potatoes. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 105, 413435.CrossRefGoogle Scholar